Technology Revolution

[liveyoungdiefast]

I want to share my ideas without going into great detail, but rather just give general thoughts in ways people can understand. I'm not a science major, I'm a humanities/history major, just so everyone knows not to blame me for slight mistakes.

 I see this world as in great need of a massive change, one far beyond what Obama is doing right now. I think Obama is on the right track, but as I said during election times, Obama is a snail crawling uphill and McCain is a truck rolling downhill. I think renewable energy is an answer to most problems at this point, so let me discuss a few points. (Also forgive my US centered perspective, I would love for people from other countries to share how these ideas could apply to theirs)


[http://www.wavec.org] Lisbon Portugal has an amazing wave energy center. In an extremely similar way that windmills work, wave and tidal energy perform the same function of using the forces of nature to gather energy. Imagine all coastal areas harnessing this, how far the reach could go. The Hoover dam in Las Vegas powers hundreds of miles of infrastructure, in the same way, any tidal energy could reach hundreds of miles inland. Take Florida as an example, with tidal plants on the gulf and on the Atlantic, the entire state could benefit.

We have geothermic power, the tested and proven method of using the Earth's natural heat (from the core pushing upwards) as an energy source. Ironically enough, geothermic energy has great potential in many landmasses that right-wing zealots want to drill. We have the sun, very simple solar panels heating thousands of pools across America. When they were installed on my roof, it took less than one day to get them up there and functioning.

Enough drilling! The Chinese have produced fully electric (not hybrid) cars and will be selling them next year. If we engaged in a space race with the Soviet Union, which while an amazing demonstration of human potential did not revolutionize humanity as a whole, why have we yet to realize the technology race for renewable energy we have engaged in with China. They will own the West soon if we don't get our act together. This technology race is our future.

We can create more jobs than Obama's stimulus bill ever could hope to if we simply put the technology race on overdrive. Rebuild America with solar powered homes, clean wave and tidal energy spanning our coasts. And while the race is engaged, we put stem cell research on overdrive as well and start curing our worst diseases, there is such amazing potential in stem-cell research. We can use our cloning technology to replicate these stem cells and have enough of a surplus to test medicine. It will take years, but those years could have been completed already.

And once decades of rebuilding complete, we then can use the massive surplus resulting to revitalize health care and education. We have to make intelligence a virtue, we have to make failure to think a 'sin' within society, and we can raise generations who continue to innovate long after we're dead.

My overall point is that while the governments may be worried about health care, education, and the economy, they will all even out if we only use the potential we have as humans. We built a spaceship to go to the moon on 10 years, why not build a mag rail that crosses the Atlantic?

[SSY]

And exactly where is all the money for this going to come from?

[s0cks]

+1

You're living as if we are still in the "boom" era. Time's up, we had our chance but we were too slow. If governments were to spend their printed money on green solutions then the insitutions (banks) would just fail quicker. They will fail anyway, but the stimulus packages have delayed it somewhat.

Oil prices have fallen of a cliff, so now gas prices are down, the incentive has been lost for electric cars. Bear in mind it would take 12 years or more to change the worlds fleet of oil burning cars to electric and thats only if everyone buys an electric! You're looking at more like 20 to 25 years for those who buy second hand.

With the economy on the brink of collapse everyone wants to do everything as cheaply as possible. And cheap means dirty. And what is this about China in a renewable energy craze? Thats laughable. Before the downtown, China was building 2, yes 2, COAL power plants a week!!!!!

As I always say. Economy before Environment.

I want clean energy as much as you, for everyone, but its too late. Everyone's flat broke.

[Whitney]

From my understanding, solar panels are not necessarily affordable enough for most people and it can take quite some time to get a return on the investment.  As the costs go down it will make more sense to use solar panels on all houses, but right now they make more sense for buildings where the panels can be purchased in bulk.   I have actually seen a LEED (I think it got a Silver rating) house which had solar panels value engineered off due to them not being an economical choice.  But, IKEA is going to start selling solar panels (http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/08/11/ike ... e-horizon/) in the next 3 or 4 years..

I can tell you that we are very far from being able to engineer a magnet driven train that could cross the atlantic.  The water is too deep for us to build a bridge and the ocean is too wavy for us to float a bridge the train could stay on.  Not to mention storms which would cause the waves to wash over the train.  The money it would take to encase the train and tracks in a tunnel would be astronomical; assuming that we could even make one which could withstand the pressures the tunnel would be subjected to.

Btw, I think the UK might be the one leading the renewable energy race.  Every time I find a new product it seems to be UK based.

[newblueradio]

I'm not sure where you are getting your information about China doing clean renewable energy production, but they are the most heinous polluters in the world right now, and have been for quite some time.  China is by no means a benchmark in future energy development.

[karadan]

I'm not sure where you are getting your information about China doing clean renewable energy production, but they are the most heinous polluters in the world right now, and have been for quite some time.  China is by no means a benchmark in future energy development.

Actually China are doing quite a lot in comparison to other countries at their equivelent stage of social and technological evolution. They have been forced to make massive changes quickly whereas the US had a good fifty years to accept the damage certain practices did to the environment.

As for clean renewable energy, one of the most impressive and 'out of the box' ideas i've seen is this:

The Solar Tower
http://www.solarmissiontechnologies.com ... roject.htm

Convection power baby!

At the end of the day, no practical wind, solar or thermal power will produce anything like the amount needed to cater for humans, unless we are happy to give up 15% of the earth's surface to this initiative. Our best bet for large amounts of clean, abundant and efficient energy, i'm sure, is fusion power. We are close but it is still not a definite certainty....Yet...

[VanReal]

A wonderful thought and I think a lot of us share your frustration, especially those of us trying to work our way to a more green lifestyle.  The solar panel idea is great but the amount of panels it would take for an average home in the US would not be practicle at this point.  My mother and her husband live completely off the grid and really enjoy not having the utility costs and not being affected during severe weather.  However, they live in a 400 square foot home without plumbing and use propane appliances (fridge and oven/stove) and there 4 massive solar panels allow them enough to power their ham radio and two lamps.  Their generator stores for about 7 over-cast days so any more than that and they have to break out the candles.  They absolutely love it and it works for them, but I would need my tv and washer and dryer, not to mention my AC in the Summer!  

In order for us truly to correct our wasteful behavior we would really need to start individually by not being so spoiled.  During tornado season when we are without power for a day or less I try the light switches about 100 times, just in case   it's hard, and anything we do globally will take a very long time, I doubt I'll see it in my lifetime.

[SSY]

Our best bet for large amounts of clean, abundant and efficient energy, i'm sure, is fusion power. We are close but it is still not a definite certainty....Yet...

Word on the street is that we are still a long way off. I think they are building a test tokamak in France that won't even fire up until 2018, and even when it does, it will produce power in bursts of several minutes only. It looks like it will be at least 40 years until we have any sort of workable reactors.

I agree though, once we have them, energy should be a lot cleaner and more abundant.

[Tom62]

Whenever I hear Americans complaining about China I must laugh out loud. I'm sorry to say that the US is the largest consumer of energy in the world. The average US household consumes approx. 2.5 times more energy than an average household in Western Europe. Our appliances here in Europe are far more energy efficient; our cars uses less petrol; we are way ahead in recycling materials, etc., etc. Sure ,it is a good idea to research alternative renewable energy sources, but more is gained by reducing our energy requirements. Do we f.i. really need a TV-Set in ever corner of our house or a car for every member of the family?  Can't we take the bike to go to work, like 30% of all the Dutch do? Sure, if I do my washing it takes approx. 30 minutes longer for my German washing machine to be finished in comparison with my wife's American washing machine. But her washing machine uses up more than twice the amount of water and energy. She also uses the dryer, while I hang up my washing outside to dry. This not only saves a lot of energy, but also has the nice effect that my clothing last longer. I know it is hard to give up some of our conveniences, but by taking some small steps back we can save loads of energy. It scares the shit out of me that if all humans on this planet would consume as much energy as he Americans do then the world should  be 7 times larger in order to support them.

[VanReal]

Whenever I hear Americans complaining about China I must laugh out loud. I'm sorry to say that the US is the largest consumer of energy in the world. The average US household consumes approx. 2.5 times more energy than an average household in Western Europe. Our appliances here in Europe are far more energy efficient; our cars uses less petrol; we are way ahead in recycling materials, etc., etc. Sure ,it is a good idea to research alternative renewable energy sources, but more is gained by reducing our energy requirements. Do we f.i. really need a TV-Set in ever corner of our house or a car for every member of the family?  Can't we take the bike to go to work, like 30% of all the Dutch do?

I'm with you on that we are very, very spoiled and our luxuries feel like necessities.  We Americans are also the world's consumers which is why when we aren't doing well everyone else starts to suffer soon after.  (Probably why we owe so much money to other countries especially China).  I'd love to bike to work but would never make it in the streets of Dallas....well not safely at least.  (Part natural danger part lack of coordination.)

Sure, if I do my washing it takes approx. 30 minutes longer for my German washing machine to be finished in comparison with my wife's American washing machine. But her washing machine uses up more than twice the amount of water and energy. She also uses the dryer, while I hang up my washing outside to dry. This not only saves a lot of energy, but also has the nice effect that my clothing last longer. I know it is hard to give up some of our conveniences, but by taking some small steps back we can save loads of energy. It scares the shit out of me that if all humans on this planet would consume as much energy as he Americans do then the world should  be 7 times larger in order to support them.

The most impressive part of this is that your wife has you doing your own laundry.  She is my hero  

Let's face it, Americans don't really make things anymore, we import, so everyone else needs to get busy.

[G.ENIGMA]

quote="VanReal"

(Probably why we owe so much money to other countries especially China).

Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this but I couldn't help noticing that line because its been on my mind a little lately

[SSY]

I have often thought that myself. We buy stuff from china, then they loan us the money back, so we are left with all the stuff, and all the money.

If the loans were defaulted, I imagine china would have several ways of wreaking vengence financially. It would also probably put off other countries doing bussiness with us.

[VanReal]

Americans are the collateral, we are a the top consumer of their products.  Try to shop discriminantly to not by things made in China....extremely hard to do.  China can get away with that though because they haven't allowed capitalism or its people to own capital (like homes) so all of the money belongs to the government.  (They can own homes now but that's still sketchy).  They are everywhere though, they have taken over the market place in nearly every country and are devastating Africa.  They'll own us by the time my grandkids are adults.  (If you are interested I'd recommend reading anything by Harry Wu starting with Bitter Winds, and then be afraid, very afraid.)

Back on topic it was interesting, if anyone watched, how Obama brougt up this very topic and really laid into the auto makers with "how can the country that invented the first automobile be so far behind" (paraphrasing of course).  He's a younger guy and has young kiddos, I think he'll be more inclined to push environmental, technological, and energy initiatives.  (Just needs a cople years to clear up the funding for it.)  Yea technology!

[G.ENIGMA]

I have often thought that myself. We buy stuff from china, then they loan us the money back, so we are left with all the stuff, and all the money.

If the loans were defaulted, I imagine china would have several ways of wreaking vengence financially. It would also probably put off other countries doing bussiness with us.

It's a good job they don't have a Eurovision vote then :banna:

In case our american friends dont know what that is, it's an annual European song contest where the rest of Europe gang up on Great Britain to show how "unpopular" we are by awarding us lot's of "null point’s"